Pam gave him a small smile and nodded her head. Nate watched her thoughtfully. “Pam I still don’t think you are hearing me,” Nate said as he stroked her cheek. “When I told you that you belong to me that means I will always take care of you. Now, that means I will take care of you and my future that you are carrying,” Nate placed his hand on her tummy. “Are we getting any clearer on that?”
“Yes,” Pam said with a smile. “I think we are.”
“Not to ruin your good news or your moment but I think Pamela is right. It is good that I know this,” Uri interrupted. “This changes everything. I see you are happy Bella. This means the world to me. You will not have any trouble from Luca. That you have my word on, if you need me you know how to find me.”
Uri stood from his seat and held his hand out to Nate. “Congratulations,” Uri said.
“Wait, Uri, you just got here. Where are you going,” Pamela asked.
“I think it is best for you and Nate to be alone together to celebrate this occasion, besides Luca has arrived today. I have changed my mind on how I will handle him given your new news,” Uri said looking Nate in the eyes to convey his meaning.
Both Paige and Pamela picked up on the look between Uri and Nate and looked at each other with their own questioning looks. Bobby saw his wife’s wheels turning in her head and knew he needed to distract her. He nuzzled her neck drawing her attention and grabbed a hand full of her backside.
“Wouldn’t you like to go home and let them celebrate? I have a little celebrating of my own I would like to do. Just because we aren’t telling anyone about our own twins doesn’t mean I don’t want to celebrate them,” Bobby whispered in her ear.
They had found out at Paige’s twelve week visit that she too was having twins. Bobby had wanted to keep it a secret for now. Paige was bursting at the seams now to share the truth with her own twin.
Paige smiled. “Shh, they might hear you,” she laughed.
“Doubt it, but we should go,” Bobby replied and nipped her ear. He knew he had her the moment he saw the heat in her eyes.
“Pam, I think Bobby and I should head out too. Call me later,” Paige said quickly.
“Okay, thanks for being here,” Pamela said.
Paige placed her hand in Bobby’s and he shook Nate’s hand with the other, and then pulled Pam into an one arm hug. Paige hugged her sister and Nate before her husband led her out by her hand. Paige peeked back at Nate and Uri as Pam followed her and Bobby to let them out.
Paige wrinkled her brows as she watched the intense conversation between the two. “Baby, are you hungry? Did you guys eat?” Bobby derailed her thoughts once again.
“I think I could stand to eat something,” Paige turned to look up at her husband and smiled.
Bobby sighed in relief to see his wife was distracted, at least for now.
Chapter Twelve
“
I
heard you were in the States you British prick,” Luca said with a laugh and broad smile for his cousin. “I could have used you by my side in London.”
“First, I have more Italian in my pinkie than you have in your entire body,” Uri snorted. “Second, the only prick in this room is you.”
Luca threw his head back and laughed while standing to hug his cousin in greeting. Luca placed his hands on Uri’s shoulders. “You will help me find her, yes?” Luca said with a big smile. Uri could find anyone. Pamela would not be able to hide from Uri.
“No,” Uri said firmly.
Luca dropped his hands and took a step back, the smile falling from his face. “But…what do you mean no?” Luca choked out.
“I mean no,” Uri said darkly.
“She is mine,” Luca shouted pointing a finger at his own chest. “She cannot just disappear. She belongs to me.”
“Not anymore,” Uri roared back.
Luca laughed bitterly. “So what you are finally going to take her for yourself. I see the way you look at her,” Luca said coldly.
Uri’s hand snapped out and he grabbed Luca by the back of his neck pulling him in close. Uri’s chest heaved in fury. “I will pretend that those words never left your lips. I have been the only one to protect you and look after you as you make a trail of enemies,” Uri said with a betraying deadly calm.
“You. Will. Leave. Pamela. Alone,” Uri said through clenched teeth.
Luca shrugged Uri’s hold off of him and took a step back. “You know where she is,” Luca said with his eyes narrowed. It was a statement not a question.
“It doesn’t matter,” Uri shouted with untamed fury. “Look at you. You sit up here in this penthouse like the king of the world but you ruined what you had just to keep this life. I told you, you cannot have Pamela and this life too. You chose Shannon so Shannon it will be.”
“I don’t even know Shannon. I won’t know Shannon for another four weeks. I’ve spent seven years with Pamela. I’ve loved her for seven years. She was having my baby Uri. We will always have that bond,” Luca spat.
“No Luca, you will not. You left her for me to take care of. You ran like always and left me to clean up for you,” Uri growled. “Not this time Luca, not this time, let her go. Meet your fiancée in four weeks and do as your father says.”
“I want Pamela,” Luca said coolly.
“I want peace and to wash the blood off my hands. It’s not going to happen.”
“I will find her, Uri,” Luca snarled.
“Then you will also find more trouble than your life is worth,” Uri folded his arms over his chest and looked his cousin in his angry blue eyes.
“Are you threatening me?” Luca asked incredulously.
“No Luca, I am promising you that you don’t want to find Pamela. She doesn’t want or need you. You go against me on this one I won’t be able to fix it,” Uri paused and sighed. “And because of what it could do to the family I will be the one that stops you first.”
“You wouldn’t,” Luca said as he narrowed his eyes.
“Yes Luca, I would. Leave her alone. I even think that you are going after her and I will expose your secrets to the family and I will get the approval to pull the trigger,” Uri revealed.
“You do this… for just a friend?” Luca asked suspicious of how far his cousin’s feelings went for his woman.
“I do this for you,” Uri said genuinely. “You have lost her, Luca. Lick your wounds and move on. You were never in love. You were in lust with her. Let her go Luca, it will cause the family problems if you don’t.”
“You have no idea how I feel for her,” Luca said quietly.
“Yeah Luca, I do because if you loved her you wouldn’t have told her about your engagement and expected for her to remain in your home. You would have known she would be gone,” Uri snorted.
Luca paused in thought for a long moment. Uri could see him warring with his feelings and his wants. Luca was not one to let things go easily. Uri saw when it sunk in that this was one fight he would not win. “This is best,” Luca finally relented looking like a lost little boy.
“Yes my brother, it is for the best,” Uri nodded.
Luca pulled Uri into a hug. Uri knew there would be no bad blood here. Luca was spoiled but he knew Uri was loyal to him and had his best interest at heart. In time he would see this was all for the best. Uri sighed knowing that one problem was down but he still had many.
Chapter Thirteen
“
S
o how am I doing so far,” Nate crooned in Pam’s ear as he held her in his arms from behind.
A few nights ago while in bed he had asked her what her idea of the perfect date would be. She’d told him it would be at least a week long date because they would need to do some traveling. Nate loved how her eyes lit up as her imagination draw her on a journey.
“First stop would be somewhere exotic, like Dubai. We would have dinner on a roof top to enjoy the amazing wonders built by man. We wouldn’t stay long because we would need to get to Paris.
“Paris would be where we would get to have a lovely picnic in front of the Eifel Tower. Of course we would
have to hit a café or two before going to Italy. In Italy we would go to a few vineyards. I want to run through the vines bare foot and let the smell of the grapes and the warmth of the sun take me away.
“Then we would return home. Remembering the simple things will keep us real with one and other. So we would end the date by vegging out on the couch with ice cream and a movie.
“That my handsome man would be the perfect date,” Pam had purred.
So now here they were sitting on a checkered blanket in Paris. Dubai had been amazing. Pam couldn’t believe he had taken her seriously. It took some doing, but Nate had carved out the whole week to take her on her ideal date. So far he hadn’t missed a single detail from her description of the perfect date.
Pam felt like she could have told him she wanted to go to the moon and he would have made it happen. She reached for his hand resting on her stomach and gave it a gentle squeeze. She loved that he was so tender with her. It was a total contrast to the Nate she got in the bedroom, although lately that had changed too.
He was making love to her more often than not. Pam knew she was falling in love but she had wondered what changed for him. She thought maybe he thought he would hurt the babies.
“You are doing amazing so far,” Pam sighed happily as Nate brought a strawberry to her lips. “I wasn’t expecting any of this.”
Pam ate the strawberry and snuggled her back deeper into his chest. Nate kissed the back of her head and rubbed at her growing belly. He was content with just having this woman in his arms.
“You didn’t have to expect it but you deserve it,” Nate said thoughtfully. “I’ll give you anything you want, you need only ask.”
“Where have you been all my life Nate,” Pam teased.
Nate shrugged. “Wondering where you were,” he laughed.
“You know you keep this up and I’m going to have to keep you around,” Pam turned her face up to smile at him.
“That’s the point, Tinker Bell,” Nate crooned.
“Whatever, Hulk,” Pam said before letting out a squeal as Nate nuzzled and bit her neck.
~B
~
“I think you are trying to mess around and make me fall in love with you,” Pam groaned. “Yes, keep doing that, right there.”
It had been a long day for Pam. After coming back from the best date ever she had to make up for all the work she missed while she was gone. Today she had styled several clients and popped in on one of her model’s shoots. Things were looking great for her business here in New York.
However, she had a feeling it was due to a few people in her life. Her sister had placed a bug in her husband’s ear to talk to some of his connections and his mother got involved. Pam also knew for a fact that Uri had put in some calls. Then there was Nate. He had almost demanded she rent a space he had scoped out for her.
Once she agreed he had clients banging her door down to come to her, instead of her going to them. She knew that was because he hated the idea of her being on her feet with the babies. She was only three months but that didn’t matter to Nate.
So this was why she was now moaning and groaning in ecstasy as he rubbed her tired feet. Nate smiled at her words and lifted her feet to his lips to kiss the sole. She may have been falling, but he knew he was already there.
He just hadn’t told her he loved her because he thought it might be too soon. He didn’t want to push her away by moving too fast. He respected that she was still dealing with a few demons from her past.
He saw it in the distrust in her eyes when he had to rush off for an assignment or when he had to step away for a few to deal with his team. It was one of the reasons he’d taken her on their week long date. He needed to show her that he was all in and it was all about her.
His evasiveness was all about work and not anything shady. It was just hard to explain how real estate development and an internet company could pull at him all times of the night and day, because to her that was his only business. He didn’t want to lie to her so he was constantly giving her half-truths.
Nate was kissing his way up Pam’s leg when his phone buzzed. He cursed in his head. Reaching for his phone he sighed. His father needed him. He knew the old man wouldn’t call him if it wasn’t important and too much was going on to ignore his call.
“Just answer,” Pam huffed as Nate stared at the phone regretfully.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” Nate tried.
“It’s okay, I understand. It’s work right,” Pam asked while watching his face for the truth.
It was work so his face read with the truth. “Yeah,” Nate nodded before answering his phone and standing to leave the room.
“Damn well better be,” Pam mumbled to herself when he was out of ear shot.